The Writers Group as Teacher: Lessons in Showing Up
The focused support, accountability, and wisdom of the right writers group can keep a literary life afloat—and keep you at the writing desk.
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Article Archive
Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
The Low-Residency MFA: A Reassessment of an Underappreciated Program Model
A writer canvasses faculty about the supportive communities, intentional mentorship, and flexibility that make low-res programs outstanding options for emerging writers.
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How to Figure Out What You Want From an MFA and Find the Program That Has It: Untangling All the Bad Advice on the Internet
The author of Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping lays out a plan for identifying MFA programs that suit your life, your writing, and your creative ambitions.
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The Self-Taught Writer: Crafting a Bespoke Education
When you build your own literary education from workshops and mentorships, travel and books, learning is tailored to the books you dream of writing.
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Radically Entertaining: A Profile of Deesha Philyaw
Dressed up as a witty, dramatic page-turner, Deesha Philyaw’s first novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, forthcoming in September, is at heart a withering critique of church and patriarchy.
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One Writer’s Education: A Profile of Min Jin Lee
The third novel by Min Jin Lee, American Hagwon, is an epic story of families, schools, and societal change, offering its readers a deeply personal education in the pressures, passions, and pulses of the human heart.
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Ten Questions for Catherine Jagoe
“I love and need to move just as much as I need to sit and think and write.” —Catherine Jagoe, author of Unbelonging: A Life in Search of Home
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Ten Questions for Téa Mutonji
“I was surprised at how much mental pep talk goes into writing a novel.” —Téa Mutonji, author of My Person
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Trust Your Stuff
The author of Hidden River (Tortoise Books, 2026) encourages writers to say what they need to say, regardless of industry trends.
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Ten Questions for Paul Yoon
“I’ve been writing a lot in my head before I actually sit down to write.” —Paul Yoon, author of Etna
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Running the Distance
The author of Hidden River (Tortoise Books, 2026) encourages authors to find pastimes to supplement the writing life.
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Ten Questions for Marta Pérez-Carbonell
“Just like there is a right time for readers to read a book, the right time came for me to write this one.” —Marta Pérez-Carbonell, author of I Made You Up Inside My Head
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Cheat Sheet
The author of Hidden River (Tortoise Books, 2026) encourages writers to pursue multiple projects simultaneously.
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Ten Questions for Andrea Uptmor
“I try to remember that all the other stuff in life—my family, my job—isn’t in competition with my writing life.” —Andrea Uptmor, author of The New People
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Ten Questions for Maya C. Popa
“Ordering a manuscript is part intuition, part acumen.” —Maya C. Popa, author of If You Love That Lady
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Ten Lessons From a Failed First Novel
A debut novelist considers the insights she gained from shelving her first manuscript, and how the collapse of that project set her on a path to success.
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On Juxtaposition
The author of Did You Find Everything You Were Looking For? (Norton, 2026) considers the value of combining incongruous images in poetry.
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Ten Questions for Fatimah Asghar
“As an artist, it’s easy to compare yourself to your younger self, instead of giving yourself the freedom to be who you are now.” —Fatimah Asghar, author of Daughter of the Mountains
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On Notebooks
The author of Did You Find Everything You Were Looking For? (Norton, 2026) encourages poets to practice daily observation in writing.
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Ten Questions for Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain
“If I spend too long thinking about or planning a book, then I never start writing.” —Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain, author of Bone Horn
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Literary Journals Associated With MFA Programs
If, as part of your graduate experience, you’re interested in contributing your time or writing to a school-sponsored journal, check out this listing of institutions whose MFA programs produce literary magazines.
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Ten Questions for Monica Datta
“I believe that a wise man told us all to fail better.” —Monica Datta, author of Nebraska
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The Freedom of Form in Fiction
The author of Patient, Female (Milkweed Editions, 2026) encourages writers to experiment with radically different forms to combat the blank page.
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To Grieve, to Mourn, to Sing, to Feel: A Profile of Phillip B. Williams
In Lift Every Voice, Phillip B. Williams explores the devastating effects of avoiding grief, and sitting with that feeling, more than two decades after his father’s death, is what allowed him to finally mourn and eventually make his art.
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